Detroit’s Quicken Loans Is the No. 1 Place to Work in IT

Computerworld, an online publication that provides technology news and information for information technology leaders, has recently revealed its annual “100 Best Places to Work in IT” list, a comprehensive report that recognizes a company’s core culture such as employee benefits, diversity, career development, training options and retention efforts.

Computerworld, an online publication that provides technology news and information for information technology leaders, recently revealed its annual “100 Best Places to Work in IT” list, a comprehensive report that recognizes a company’s core culture such as employee benefits, diversity, career development, training options and retention efforts.

This year’s “Best Place to Work in IT” title was awarded to Detroit-based Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest online lender and third largest retail mortgage lender whose founder and chairman is Dan Gilbert—a veritable catalyst for Detroit’s revitalization and a role model for the city’s business community. Quicken Loans has appeared on Computerworld’s list for nine years in a row along other prestigious technology innovators such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, and it ranked no. 1 four times. The company also made it to FORTUNE Magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, where it ranked among the top 30 employers for the last ten consecutive years.

In August 2010 Quicken Loans and five of its sister companies moved 1,700 employees into the Compuware building located at 1 Campus Martius in downtown Detroit. More than 8,000 of the company’s 10,000 team members currently work in Detroit, where Quicken Loans and its affiliates own 30 buildings—or 4 million square feet of commercial space and 3.6 million square feet of parking, according to MLive.com.

“Bullet Time,” one of the perks enjoyed by Quicken Loans employees, is a weekly time-off of usually four hours during which technology team members can focus on their personal projects. Xboxes and Ping-Pong tables, lively-colored offices that encourage creativity, free snacks and beverages, occasional basketball ticket giveaways announced by Dan Gilbert himself, and an innovative system of up to 10-minute-long briefings combined with a focus on training opportunities were just some of the factors that put Quicken Loans on top of Computerworld’s list.